‘Emma,’ Jeremy sighed. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. ‘What’s going on? What are you wearing? None of this is like you at all.’
I handed him a mug of tea with three sugars, just as he liked it, and sat down next to him. I knew I could still be in danger – and that meant he was also at risk. He might have forced my hand by appearing at Heart out of the blue, but I couldn’t change my current course.
I had to come up with something. Telling him that I’d been murdered and come back to life wasn’t likely to arouse his sympathy. Knowing Jeremy, it was more likely he’d run in the opposite direction while calling for the men in white coats to take me away. He didn’t even like it when I discussed my own parents’ death and they’d not been resurrected. My heart wrenched at that thought and I quickly shoved it away.
‘You shouldn’t be here, Jeremy. It’s incredibly dangerous.’
‘If it’s dangerous,’ he snapped, ‘then you shouldn’t be here either.’
I grimaced. ‘It’s my job.’
‘You’re not qualified yet. And I thought we agreed that you were going to take a desk-based position at Cyber Crimes. That’s where you’re supposed to be working, not here.’ He looked round, unimpressed.
‘We’ve been through this. I didn’t have a choice,’ I said quietly. Then I started improvising. ‘The thing is, I’m anonymous here. The vampires don’t know me and neither do the werewolves. I’m working undercover to get as much information about them as I can. It’s not what I’d have chosen to do, but it’s what I’ve been asked to do.’
I smiled humourlessly. The more truth I could weave in, the more plausible I’d sound. ‘I have my own code name. I’m not Emma any more, I’m D’Artagnan.’
‘You realise how crazy all that sounds, right?’
Not as crazy as the truth. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘But it’s why I have to stay away from home and stay away from you.’ I reached for him. ‘I don’t want to, but I don’t have a choice. It’s not for long – maybe a week then everything will be back to normal. Maybe even sooner.’
‘It doesn’t seem right, Emma. You’re a trainee.’ His eyes searched my face. ‘Are you okay? You’ve not been … hit on the head or anything?’
I tried to laugh. ‘No, of course not.’
‘Can’t you tell the Academy no? Can’t you just come home?’
‘If I want to graduate and have my pick of jobs afterwards, this is what I’ve got to do.’
Jeremy reached out and cupped my face. He seemed puzzled and there was an edge of genuine alarm to his expression. I wasn’t surprised; not only was I acting out of character, but my tale didn’t add up. Nobody was sent undercover without proper training, and no trainee would ever be tasked with such a potentially dangerous job.
‘I’ve been so worried about you, Emma. This is mad! It’s four o’clock in the morning and I’m running around the streets of London looking for my crazy girlfriend!’
‘I’m really sorry.’ I wasn’t sure how to make it up to him, so I tried putting a positive spin on things. ‘Look on the bright side,’ I said. ‘You’ll have some time to yourself for a change. You can kick back, play video games, see your friends…’
Jeremy’s mouth flattened. ‘Speaking of friends, Becky and Tom were very disappointed that you couldn’t make it out for drinks. We missed you. I missed you. If you’d been there, it would have been so different.’
I bit my lip. He had no idea how different things would have been if I’d gone with him.
I could keep apologising, but I wasn’t sure what good it would do. Part of me was happy to see Jeremy, but another part of me was desperate for him to leave. I brushed my mouth against his. ‘You should go,’ I whispered. ‘You’ve got work in a few hours.’
‘Won’t you come home with me?’
I shook my head. ‘I have to stay here and see this through. By the end of next week, it will all be over.’
He kissed me again, more deeply this time. His hand snaked round the back of my head, pulling me in closer. His mouth pressed harder, almost bruising mine.
I yanked away with more force than I intended. ‘Jeremy…’
He reached for his inside pocket. ‘I have something for you, Emma,’ he breathed, his eyes fixed on mine.
I had a horrible feeling that he was about to slide out a ring. That was the last thing either of us needed. ‘Um…’
There was a sudden loud banging on the door. Jeremy dropped his hand.
I jumped, then scrambled to my feet. ‘I have to get that,’ I said. ‘It might be important and I’m the only member of Supe Squad here right now.’
‘Leave it, Emma. You can’t be on duty twenty-four hours a day.’
I was already moving to the door. ‘Someone might need help!’ Either that, or it was my killer, who’d finally worked out that I wasn’t dead yet. I yearned forlornly for the crossbow that was sitting inside Tallulah. Then I peered through the spyhole to see who was out there.
Lukas.
My stomach dropped. Why now?
I opened the door warily. He gazed at me with glittering dark eyes. ‘D’Artagnan,’ he said. ‘I saw you in the club as you were leaving. I wanted to check on you and make sure you were alright.’
I heard Jeremy behind me as Lukas’s eyes clocked him. His expression closed off. ‘You’re not alone.’
‘No, Lord Horvath. I’m not.’
There was a faint tightening around Lukas’s mouth.
Jeremy cleared his throat. ‘I’m her boyfriend,’ he said loudly.
‘I see.’ Lukas spoke coolly. ‘It’s nice to put a face to the name. D’Artagnan here has told me about you.’
I glanced at Jeremy. The fact that Lukas had called me by my nickname was a mark in my favour.
Jeremy relaxed visibly and smiled at me. ‘All good things, I hope.’ He paused. ‘Did I hear that properly? Are you Lord Horvath?’
I jumped in before Lukas could answer. ‘He is. He knows I’m working undercover. He asked Supe Squad to get involved because we’re investigating matters which the vampires can’t deal with themselves.’ I knew it was a lie that would irritate Lukas, but I couldn’t resist it. ‘You can’t tell anyone you’ve seen him with me, Jeremy.’
‘My lips are sealed.’ He looked at Lukas. ‘Undercover or not, this is a strange time to come calling.’
‘Well,’ Lukas answered smoothly, ‘I am a vampire. Night time is when I do my best work.’
I coughed. ‘Indeed. You’d better go home, Jeremy. Get some rest. I’ll call you as soon as I can. I just need to sort out a replacement phone first.’
He stood next to me. ‘Yes, you should do that. You didn’t tell me what happened to your own phone.’
‘I lost it.’ I raised my shoulders in a self-deprecating shrug. ‘What can I say? I should take more care.’
‘Well,’ Jeremy said, with a teasing twinkle, ‘I hope you reported its loss to the police.’
I managed a laugh. ‘Not yet, but I will. Thanks for dropping by. I’ll see you at home.’
He nodded and dropped his head for another kiss. Jeremy wasn’t usually prone to public displays of affection, and I suspected that Lukas’s brooding darkness was the catalyst. At least this time he was more gentle.
I kissed him back and gave him a little nudge. ‘I’ll be home by this time next week. Come hell or high water.’
A shadow of sadness crossed his eyes. ‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Bye, love.’ He strolled out, whistling a desperately melancholy tune.
Lukas and I watched him go. At the end of the street, Jeremy raised his hand and a black cab pulled up. He got in without looking back. A moment later, he was gone.
Lukas looked at me. ‘Interesting,’ he murmured. ‘I wouldn’t have put the two of you together.’
I ignored that and glared at him. ‘Why didn’t you tell me who you really were?’
‘I didn’t lie, D’Artagnan. You didn’t ask.’
‘Don’t play the fool, Lukas, it doesn’t suit you. You knew I had no clue about your identity. Do I call you Lukas? Or should I call you “Lord” and curtsey?’
He made a face. ‘Lukas is my real name,’ he said, surprising me.
‘Really?’ My voice was flat. ‘Aren’t you afraid that I’ll use it against you?’
‘I’m too powerful for my name to be used against me.’ He wasn’t boasting, he was simply stating a fact.
He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. ‘Besides, there are very few supes who have the power to dominate through their voice, even with the use of a given name. You’re right. I could have told you who I am, but it would have altered how you acted around me. Bear in mind that while you were wondering whether you could trust me or not, I was wondering the same thing about you.’
I frowned. He’d used the past tense. ‘And now?’
‘I’ve seen into your heart,’ he said quietly. ‘I no longer have any fears on that score.’
I folded my arms across my chest. I wasn’t about to yield just yet. ‘Do you know what I am?’ I demanded. ‘Do you know what sort of … being is killed and then rises again?’
Lukas didn’t look away. ‘No, I don’t,’ he said. ‘D’Artagnan, while I might have managed the truth by omission, I haven’t actually lied. Lying isn’t in my nature.’
I wished that I didn’t want to believe him so desperately. ‘Fine,’ I said. I stepped back. ‘Dawn is only a few hours away. I should get some sleep.’
Lukas didn’t move. ‘Is he going to be a problem? Your boyfriend?’